"Naps are for the birds..."

...so sayeth Benjamin. It is increasingly difficult to get him to take a nap when he so obviously needs one, and unfortunately sometimes the only way to do it is to hold him. Putting him down is often not an option - he wakes up immediately and lets us know, in no uncertain terms, that he wants to be held again. His naps have only been lasting for thirty minutes, rarely an hour. This is a change for him - the challenge used to be keeping him entertained, not getting him to sleep by himself. I wonder if it's the teething... At least the screaming has gotten quite a bit better.Being silly on the playmat. I think his tongue has knocked his feet into second place as far as toys go.

Turning into a cuddle monkey. It used to be rare that he would fall asleep on my lap (he often does with Mike) unless he had just finished eating.

Daddy and bug watching the baseball game. Really, Benjamin was watching the game! For a few minutes, anyway. He is a fan-in-training.
Had to get the "Dad's Team" logo in the shot. Notice the socks: we are being diligent about keeping those piggies covered so he can't scratch himself bloody so much. Seems to be working, but it takes a lot of energy to put the socks back on over and over again after he kicks them off.
Our first attempt at feeding him rice cereal. He has been eating a lot of formula lately, and he had started staring at us eating dinner, which I heard was a sign that he is ready for solid foods. He seemed pretty receptive, although he kept sticking his tongue out so most of the food ended up on his bib. Baby steps!
Just one of the many, many faces he made during his first cereal meal.

It seems like his is doing something new every day... The cutest is that he has started really laughing and giggling, not just short laughs here and there. I was changing him when Mike came home from work today, and Mike tickled his bare tummy which made him giggle like we had never heard before. Too adorable!